Tonya Ormberg

August 2nd....... the day I found the lump and almost dismissed it but I was already scheduled to see my family doctor later that week.  I went to see my family doctor who thought I should have mammogram completed the following week.  They proceeded to do a ultrasound as I had some abnormalities in the right breast.  The radiologist decided that I need to have a ultrasound guided biopsy completed in Willmar which was on August 22nd.  On August 24th I had received the news that I have IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma) and needed to decide where to I wanted to proceed to doctor at.  I was numb but knew that I wanted Mayo in Rochester as they had saved my mother 20 years prior with brain cancer. 


On August 29th I had spent the week in Mayo meeting incredible doctors and staff and did NUMEROUS tests.  They did 3D mammograms and found more lumps so proceeded with more ultrasound guided biopsies.  I had a lymph node that looked abnormal so they also did MRI.  It was a long week of classes on breast reconstruction, genetic doctors, and MRIs.  I had to go back for more abnormal looking areas so they had decided that MRI guided biopsy for these areas would be the best to make sure we are not missing anything.  3 more biopsies were done on September 26 to find that I had 2 types of cancer, one area has IDC and another area has DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) with a large area of PASH (pseudoanigomatous stomal hyperplasia).

I had met with surgeons and oncologists on October 3rd and they have set a plan in place and the BEST part is I can have my chemo done in Marshall.  This is good news as I will be doing paclitaxel once a week for 12 weeks, then the AC  for 4 treatments (every other week).  Once the 20 weeks of chemo is completed there will be a 3 week wait and will proceed with a mastectomy and at that time they will decide if radiation is needed.